Multiple-platform office desks



May 18, 1965 J. MUGNIER MULTIPLE-PLATFORM OFFICE DESKS Filed Jan. 4,1965 ZZZZIIIZZI P-T .1 M B 1 VII/I671 fibril/11162119111112 JOACHIMMUGNIER 1N VEN TOR.

United States Patent 3,184,274 MULTIPLE-PLATFORM OFFICE DESKS JoachimMugnier, 24 Rue Carnot, Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France Filed Jan. 4, 1963,Ser. No. 249,421 Claims priority, application France, Jan. 19, 1962,42,215, Patent 1,311,027 3 Claims. (Cl. 312196) Multiple classifyingofiice desks-have already been proposed, for instance. in the UnitedStates Patent 2,614,017 dated October 14, 1952. Said type of desk isconstituted by the combination of a lower stationary section providedwith large recesses for the classification of dockets with an uppersection including a plurality of superposed boards forming as manyindependent tables separated from one another by gaps a few centimetershigh, said boards being slidably guided with reference to one anotherand with reference to the lower stationary section. The upper section ofsuch prior desks includes also a front covering panel and two lateralcovering panels through which said upper section engages the floorduring the sliding of the boards, said panels covering the entire pieceof furniture and serving also as a sliding support for the boardscarried by the lower stationary section of the piece of furnitnre.

Although said arrangements are highly advantageous, they show a numberof drawbacks such as the trace left by the rollers after repeatedmovements of the upper board over a floor or carpet. It is alsodifficult to set arm-chairs or the like seats near the front edge of thedesk without preventing movement of the upper board. The outline of suchoflice desks is necessarily heavy and unaesthetic while their cost priceis comparatively great.

My invention has for its object to obviate such drawbacks. To this end,the upper board no longer rests on the floor by way of a vertical panel,nor does it entirely encase the stationary section. Instead, it slidesover the lower stationary section through 'the agency of rollerspositioned in a manner such that they oppose the upsetting torque ofwhich the maximum value is reduced by means of stops restricting theextent of shifting of said board while the rollers of the intermediateboards run over rails provided on the one hand underneath the upperboard and, on the other hand, over the stationary section, the stabilityof which is reinforced by known means.

The stationary section forms, in this case, the sole outer cover for thepiece of furniture of which the shape is no longer subjected to anyfunctional limitation and may be given any desired aesthetic outline.

My invention will be readily understood from the reading of thefollowing description, reference being made to the accompanyingdiagrammatic drawings illustrating, by way of example and in anon-limiting sense, a preferred embodiment of my invention. In saiddrawings:

' FIG. 1 is a front-elevational view of the desk.

FIG. 2 is a side-elevational view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section, on a larger scale, along line 3-3 of FIG. 2,showing the slideways on the right-hand side of the desk.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate two arrangements for increasing the stabilityof the desk.

The piece of furniture illustrated includes chiefly a lower stationarysection 2 resting on the floor, an upper board 3 sliding over thestationary section 2, an intermediate board 4 and a lower board 5, whichboards also slide and engage both the upper board 3 and the stationarysection 2, as disclosed hereinafter.

The stationary section 2 encloses the different drawers 6 andpigeonholes of the desk. Its sides. are constituted each by two verticalpanels 7 and 8 which are rigidly secured to each other at their lowerends by stays 9. FIG.

3 illustrates the details of the structure of the right-hand side of thedesk, the left-hand side being symmetrically arranged with reference tothe medial vertical plane of the desk.

In the gap remaining between these two lateral panels 7 and 8 above thestay 9 are housed two pairs of rails 11, one rail of each pair beingrigidly secured to one of said panels. Said rails serve as raceways fora carriage provided with two rollers 12 of which the common spindle 13is rigid with a vertical rod 14 the upper end of which is rigidlysecured to the upper board 3 adjacent its rear edge through the sidefacing the drawers of the vertical flanges 15 of the board 3 adjacentthe rear edge of the desk. Said flanges also rest IOVCI' rollers 16carried by the stationary section 2 at points adjacent the front edge ofthe desk.

Two stops 17 limit the shifting of the board 3 with a View to reducingthe tractional stresses transmitted to the spindle 13 of the rollers 12through their rods 14, whereby the upsetting torque produced by theoverhanging of the board 3 and of the intermediate boards 4 and 5 partlysupported by said board 3 is also substantially reduced.

The boards 4 and 5 are provided along each edge in the vicinity of eachcorner with rollers shown respectively at 18a, 18b and 19a, 19b.

The rear rollers 18a and 19a on the boards 4 and 5 engage the raceways21a and 22a rigid with the lower stationary sections 2. The frontrollers 18b and 19b engage the raceways 21b and 22b carried by thevertical depending flanges 15 of the board 3.

The various movements of the three movable boards may be executed inspite of the possible presence of seats to the front of the desk and inall cases without at any moment damaging the floor or its coveringlayers.

It is, however, necessary to absorb the upsetting torque produced by theoverhanging of the movable boards in their foremost positions byresorting to an increased stability of the stationary section, forinstance to an increase in weight of the pedestal of the latter, asillustrated in FIG. 4, or else, to outwardly projecting feet, asillustrated in FIG. 5.

Obviously, my invention is not limited to the sole embodiment of a deskdescribed hereinabove and it covers, in contradistinction, all themodifications thereof falling within the scope of the accompanyingclaims.

What I claim is:

1. A multiple-platform desk comprising a stationary base formed with ahorizontal first working platform; a horizontally movable member havinga second working platform vertically spaced from and parallel to saidfirst platform while being substantially coextensive therewith in aclosed condition of said desk; mounting means adjacent said firstplatform and including first antifriction means interposed between saidbase and said member and located proximal to the rear edge of said baseand carrying said movable member while enabling displacement thereoffrom a closed position wherein it overlies said first platform to anopen position wherein said second platform projects rearwardly beyondsaid base while being supported by cantilever action thereon, saidmounting means further including second antifriction meansinterconnecting said movable member and said support and afiixed to saidmovable member at a forward edge thereof to prevent tilting of saidsecond platform in the open position thereof; and at least oneadditional platform between said first and second platforms shiftablymounted on said movable member at the rear of said additional platformand on said base at the front of the additional platform.

2. A multiple platform desk as defined in claim 1 wherein saidstationary base is provided with a pair of lateral, double-wall panelssupporting said first platform, each of g, n V J said double-wall panels7 defining fnom said movable member into each of said compartments andhaving respective rollers journaled on said rods within saidcompartments, said second antifriction means including horizontal railmeans in'each of's'aid compart 'ments engaged by'the respective rollersfrom-below pre- 7 venting withdrawal'ofsaidrodsupwardlyifrom-saidcompartments.

3. A multiple platform desk: as defined in c1ai1n 2 wherein said base ispnovided with a stop limiting the horizontal displacement of said rods,said movable membernhaving a pair of generally vertical lateral flangesdepending from said second platform and' coplanar .with saidipanels,:said rods being secured to said flanges, said flanges each. being sane274 a generally vertical iip- Wardly open compartment, said secondantifriction means; 7 including a respective generally verticalrod-depending;

" provided with generally horizontalgnide -me ans supporting the rear ofsaid additional platform 'with freedom of relative horizontal movement.

References Cited by the Examiner 15 FRAhIK-BQSHERRYQ Primary Exqnti ner

1. A MULTIPLE-PLATFORM DESK COMPRISING A STATIONARY BASE FORMED WITH AHORIZONTAL FIRST WORKING PLATFORM; A HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE MEMBER HAVINGA SECOND WORKING PLATFORM VERTICALLY SPACED FROM AND PARALLEL TO SAIDFIRST PLATFORM WHILE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE THEREWITH IN ACLOSED CONDITION OF SAID DESK; MOUNTING MEANS ADJACENT SAID FIRSTPLATFORM AND INCLUDING FIRST ANTIFRICTION MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAIDBASE AND SAID MEMBER AND LOCATED PROXIMAL THE REAR EDGE OF SAID BASE ANDCARRYING SAID MOVABLE MEMBER WHILE ENABLING DISPLACEMENT THEREOF FROM ACLOSED POSITION WHEREIN IT OVERLIES SAID FIRST PLATFORM TO AN OPENPOSITION WHEREIN SAID SECOND PLATFORM PROJECTS REARWARDLY BEYOND SAIDBASE WHILE BEING SUPPORTED BY CANTILEVER ACTION THEREOF, SAID MOUNTINGMEANS FURTHER INCLUDING SECOND ANTIFRICTION MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAIDMOVABLE MEMBER AND SAID SUPPORT AND AFFIXED TO SAID MOVABLE MEMBER AT AFORWARD EDGE THEREOF TO PREVENT TILTING OF SAID SECOND PLATFORM IN THEOPEN POSITION THEREOF; AND AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL PLATFORM BETWEEN SAIDFIRST AND SECOND PLATFORMS SHIFTABLY MOUNTED ON SAID MOVABLE MEMBER ATTHE REAR OF SAID ADDITIONAL PLATFORM AND ON SAID BASE AT THE FRONT OFTHE ADDITIONAL PLATFORM.